Finding Humanity
by Cypherian
Summary: A Vindicare Assassin finds himself defying everything he has ever known. Watch as he digs his way through all the lies that the Imperium of man had fed him. Watch as he slowly finds his new place in the world. Watch as he finds his long forsaken humanity.


**Chapter 1 - Instinct**

The starless sky was damnation black, acting as the perfect illusion of peace. No sound resonated within the bounds of the camp, nor did it beyond. The silence so thick that it could be cut through like butter. Very distressing for some but comforting for one. Sights set upon the encampment below, only flickering orange painted against the veil of darkness. Tranquility reigned supreme at this very moment, nothing more than that of an illusion. Patrols composed of five carried out the same route over, and over, never changing, never risking a single disturbance.

Precisely 3.34 minutes for each to round the makeshift settlement fully. These eyes had been observing, calculating in absence of sound, of movement, surveying the area with a crucial eye. The sun had cascaded beyond the horizon three times now and only a couple moments ago did he find this ridge, hidden even to the trained eye. The perfect position had been achieved sooner than expected, all that was left to do was bide the time. Patience, a virtue beaten and trained mercilessly into those serving under the Officio Assassinorum and now would be put to the test. The sun had begun its ascent for the fourth time now; days passed like hours, hours passed like minutes, minutes passed like seconds.

Movement flickered through the scope, new beings emerged from their holdings, fatigue etched on their features. Cheerful greetings were exchanged through the use of musical tongue; their melodies filled the air, bringing comfort and peace to whomever it descended upon. This watchful observer was not absolute. He found it oddly captivating how they communicated, such beauty in the mere exchange of words with these creatures would fascinate him to no end. A blink of calm shot through his mind but it had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, thanks to his lifetime of training, no doubt. The beings drew their attention away from one and another in order to proceed with their daily routines it would seem.

The scope shot to shifting folds of cloth, vision was met with something that had perplexed the observer. Out of the tag rag cloths emerged another being; this one was small, very small. A child. It sat up, rubbing its eyes, cleansing away the remainder of the fatigue it suffered from. Its lips perked upwards, a gesture completely alien to the observer yet so familiar. He had seen it been exchanged many times from afar by soldiers but had yet to determine its true meaning. The child stood up, raven black hair had fallen to should length, tucked behind its pointed ears, contrasting against its white skin. It only spared a moment before darting into the distance, into the arms of another. He watched as it was hoisted into the air with a twirl, a sound was emitted from the child's lips, it sounded more musical than usual from what he had heard of the other beings. Another alien gesture. An odd feeling invaded his chest, warmth at the sight of both exchanging the musical sound and the upward turn of lips. This had been the most he had ever felt and it only proved quizzical to the man but never the less it was...pleasant?

A faint spike in vibrations underneath his boot disrupted his thoughts; he placed his beloved Exitus rifle beside him and planted his gloved hand on the earth. The unmistakable heavy tread of boots collided with the ground in the distance; the vibrations began to increase with intensity. No imperial guardsmen could produce this, Space marines possibly but their numbers on this planet were too small, not enough to cause this. His suspicions were confirmed as he heard the blood curdling roar which inspired fear into the hearts of many that could send imperial guardsmen running for their lives.

Orks.

This surprised him to a degree but it was not unexpected, these forests were infested with the hulking green savages. Judging by the increase in vibrations he could only conclude that they were approaching his direction, towards the camp. This immediately made him frown as he contemplated his next line of action. His Intel was incomplete but more importantly there were innocents in danger. A protective instinct waded its way into the depths of his mind as he meditated on the situation at hand. He could not simply warn the inhabitants of the approaching horde no matter how much he found himself wanting to, neither could he turn his back on those who would need his assistance. His mind was now bombarded with conflict, on different fronts, a war raged within. Primary objective: Provide assistance in surveying the area Secondary: Eliminate threatening presence only when provoked. He could not intervene, his lifetime of training had beaten the instinct to follow orders while forsakening his humanity. But a small spark waded its way into the fold, crying out to him to help the inhabitants. He clutched his head in both annoyance and frustration, what was happening to him? He thought, he had never hesitated on the subject of following the chain of command that was his only purpose. To be the dagger that strikes from the shadows, not a shield to protect others.

His mind was made for him as he heard shouts of terror, only now did he notice that the green monstrosities had begun breaking from the tree line, now visible to all. The patrols gathered together in an attempt to form a choke point, to optimise their battle efficiency. The alien patrols were composed of only banshees; their white armour had long lost their shining gleam, replaced with dirt and grime. They had obviously been weary from battle judging from their body language, shoulders were slightly drooped and their weapons were held at pitiful angles. Some were even injured, clutching onto their wounds while handling their blades. Their fire red hair looked slightly clumped together from sweat and muck. They would not even survive the first wave.

The observer heaved his body, commanding it to prone in the hidden ridge. His visor glistened in the sunlight, and then there was nothing. His whole figure became one with the surroundings. He drew his rifle's scope to his midnight black visor and steadied his breathing. His whole figure became deathly still, not a single muscle moved while he lined the perfect shot. CRACK! The Exitus rifle barreled into his harm with the power to shatter most men's arms but it did not affect him in the slightest, he only moved to load more bullets with a sleight of hand. His hands danced over his rifle, gliding over the loading slot, inserting bullets with blinding speed. He had to eliminate the first wave to provide the defenders a window for escape. The first bullet tore through the air, the air streamed past the speeding projectile and finally it connected with the intended target, or targets. The bullet tore through the makeshift armour of the Orks like it was nothing, it entered through the right temple of the monster, dark crimson splattered in a firework display. The bullet continued to shred through three other offending Orks, their features were lifeless, a contrast from their previous boasting and cheering for conflict. A maelstrom of bullets roared their way into the green beasts, each bullet delivering an instant killing blow, taking at least two enemies with one bullet. Before the first wave could fully grasp what was happening they lay dead before the feet of the fatigued defenders. The field was painted with crimson, veiling the bright green shrub that resided beneath.

A frown crossed the features of the one responsible. Satisfactory but not good enough, he thought to himself. About thirty former Orks lay strewn before the Banshees; it had taken all ten rounds to them down. Apparently that was not the case for the defenders, judging from their body language he came to the conclusion that they were somewhat...surprised. They looked to one and other, exchanging silent questions through their faceless visages. Only one turned its sights, scanning his ridge, its eyes glided over him but no visible reaction was made, he was too well hidden for their eyes. It returned its sights to its comrades and motioned them to evacuate the area. They all darted towards the inhabitants, ushering and helping them to make haste on leaving. A small panic echoed in the air as the Eldar civilians stumbled among each other, gathering their beloved possessions and dragging their family members out of the camp.

However their sudden evacuation proved too late.

An ear-splitting roar filled the air, striking fear into the panicking populace enough to make them all freeze. A wave of dark green poured forth from the depths of the tree line, metal clanked against metal, challenges were barked out as they charged the camp. The Banshees made their way in front of the approaching horde and prepared themselves for battle, their blades were readied, slung into the air while their executioner pistols were poised at the impeding opponents. They were severely outnumbered with only six banshees left as the wounded were evacuated along with the rest of the inhabitants.

**Munitions depleted. Primary Weapon rendered ineffective. Close combat required. **

The silent observer discarded his Exitus rifle, hiding it within the brush while withdrawing his Exitus pistol. Soon after he unsheathed a scarred blade from his chest and readied both weapons. He quickly walked back from his position and then sprinted off of the ledge. He slid down the slope and came to a halt right beside the green horde; with his camouflage system still engaged he took it upon himself to attack the enemy. His blade met the jugular of the beast and exited through the back of its neck. The blood painted his visor but that did not cease his movement. He used his momentum to push through in front of the horde, before the defenders. He disengaged his stealth suit and revealed himself to prying eyes.

All movement ceased and Silence hung in the air as all absorbed what had just happened. He took the opportunity to turn himself to the Eldar defenders and motioned for them to leave. Nothing happened. He then shouted for them to go and some visibly flinched at the sudden sound. Again no reaction. The exchanged between them had been shattered when an Ork roared a challenge to the Human. He returned his sights on the horde before him before re-engaging his Stealth Suit, leaving both groups slightly dumbfounded. A roar of pain followed as red brink of light had pierced through the skull of the leading Ork, causing it to collide with the ground. Ignoring their fallen comrade they all roared at once and charged into the ghost. Axes and bolters sliced through the air in an attempt to eliminate the hidden individual. All missing their mark and the response for each swing was either a hole between their eyes or blade lodged into their temples and jugulars alike. The Eldar soldiers took the opportunity to leave with the momentary distraction of the new visitor. All glanced over their shoulders at the green horde to only see a wave of crimson paint the air and the earth.

Swings after swing were exchanged as the Ork horde descended upon the cloaked assassin. Bodies begun piling up beneath the very tread of his boots, limiting his movement more and more until the point where he was unable to dodge a cleave of a rusty axe. The blow caught him in the arm, forcing him to release his grip on his blade. His form manifested out of thin air, an all eyes drifted upon him. His vital red fluid leaked from the breach of his suit and cascaded down his arm, slowly forming a pool beside him. The lucky swing had left a deep gash in his arm, most likely leaving a scar in the process. The injured man weighed his options; he knew his end was inevitable without any support so he would fight to his dying breath to ensure the survival of the Eldar. But that option was shattered with a quivering figure emerging from behind one of the tents.

It peeked its head out of the corner and set its cyan eyes upon him. Its eyes cried for comfort of its families and fear flowed through its features. It was the young girl that he had seen earlier. At that moment his body snapped into action, his muscles heaved with all its power in order for him to haul his body to the girl. In one motion he dropped his pistol and swooped the girl into his arms, ignoring the pain searing through his limb. Then without a second thought he dashed into the forest where he last saw the Eldar leave. All hell broke loose as war cries sounded off, the Orks were outraged at their fleeing opponent, and they wanted his blood. He felt the small bundle in his arms shift, he could feel her muscles tense as she clutched onto him for dear life. She had buried her head into his suited neck in an attempt to cut herself off from the outside world. His speed only increased with every passing moment, adrenaline flowed through his veins, straining his muscles to their very limit if not beyond.

The blood curdling shouts soon became a distant sound, barely audible to the two. His pace did not relent as the sounds died; he was focused on getting this child back to its family. However his focus came to an end as something bombarded his side, sending him flying into the ground. He placed his arms over the child and made sure that he fell on his back. Quickly he scanned the child for any injuries but found it unharmed to his relief. He heaved himself up with the child still in his arms and regarded the offender. An Ork, and he could see some more trailing behind it. Then his attention turned to the rustling bushes behind him. Out emerged one of the Banshees, its chest was huffing up and down, no doubt from running. It looked down upon the fallen man and the child in his arms and then shifted its sights upon the hulking green creatures.

The assassin quickly re-collected himself and released the child from his grips, passing it to the Banshee. The child seemed to refuse to let go of him but her force was no match for his honed muscles. Succeeding in prying the child off of him he motioned the duo to leave. The banshee held its ground until he bellowed "NOW!" That was enough to send them on their way; the child looked over the banshee's shoulder to gaze at him. Sadness took precedence over her eyes as she watched her saviour confront the green monsters in the growing distance between them.


End file.
